You Can't Escape Either

A woman's heart-wrenching cries drifted in from outside the Garrison Station.

The voices of several yamen runners were mixed in, as if they were trying to stop her, but they clearly hadn't succeeded.

A woman stumbled in, wearing a faded blue cloth garment, her hair disheveled and her eyes red and swollen.

Her belly was slightly rounded; she was clearly pregnant.

Two yamen runners followed behind her, looking at Lu Yuan in a flustered manner. One of them stammered, "L-Lord Lu, this woman insisted on barging in, we couldn't stop her..."

Cuilan stepped over the threshold and fell to her knees with a thud.

"My Lord! I beg you to save my husband! I beg you!"

Lu Yuan looked at her belly, his brows furrowing slightly.

Su Ding'an hurriedly stepped forward to help her up. "Big sister, get up first. Let's talk properly. The floor is cold, and you're in a delicate condition—"

Cuilan refused to get up, tears streaming down her face.

"My Lord, I was a widow. My previous husband died three years ago, and no one wanted me."

"He was the only one who didn't mind. He married me, and this child in my belly is his seed—the one he had been hoping for for so many years..."

"I know that thing is no good, my Lord, I beg you. He is the only husband I have. If he is gone, I don't want to live anymore..."

Lu Yuan poured a cup of hot water and placed it in Cuilan's hands, offered a few words of comfort, and then looked at Su Ding'an.

"Old Su, this lady is pregnant. You stay at the Garrison Station to look after her until I return."

With that, he pushed the door open and vanished into the night.

Su Ding'an helped Cuilan to a nearby chair and patted his chest in assurance.

"Big sister, don't worry. When our Lord takes action, there isn't a demon or ghost he can't handle."

"Drink some hot water and wait here in peace. Your husband will definitely be fine."

Northwest of the county town.

Chen Wan'er walked along a dirt road under the night sky.

That day, she had woken up on a bed in the medical clinic, covered by a quilt, with a bowl of warm porridge sitting by the bedside.

As for the Chen Family, it was completely gone.

She was the only member of the Chen Family who hadn't been killed by the Blood Demon.

She vaguely remembered being saved by a Demon-Suppressing Guard, but she didn't know who that person was, nor had she managed to say a word of thanks.

After that day, she had left Chixia County.

She walked aimlessly for several days until she reached Linchuan County.

It was already dusk when she entered the city. She found an inn to stay in, thinking she would decide where to go the next day.

Unable to sleep at night, she pushed open the window. The moonlight was as cold as water, and the sound of gongs and drums drifted from afar.

It was faint and intermittent, as if a play were being performed.

She subconsciously tilted her head to listen, becoming mesmerized. The sound grew louder and louder in her ears.

Gongs, drums, cymbals, clappers, and suonas—the sounds of various instruments intertwined, lively and festive, as if it were the Lunar New Year.

By the time she regained her senses, she had already walked from the inn to the end of the old street.

Not far away, an old stage shimmered with a cold light under the moonlight.

Looking from afar, red silk hung from the top of the stage, and gold paper was pasted on the pillars. Beneath the pillars sat a three-foot-tall black pottery jar.

The mouth of the jar was sealed with cinnabar paste, with a yellow talisman pressed on top.

The surface was carved with dense runes, the glaze mottled like old bloodstains, and the yin energy overflowing from it was almost thick enough to form a mist.

Below the stage, dozens of long benches were arranged neatly, filled with people—men and women, old and young—all staring fixedly at the stage.

On the stage, a Dan Actor wearing a bright red costume was performing.

Chen Wan'er couldn't hear what she was singing.

She didn't know how, but she found herself walking right up to the stage.

Watching the water sleeves flutter and the graceful posture on stage, she sat down on a long bench as if possessed.

At first, she didn't feel that anything was wrong.

The Dan Actor's singing was melodious, and her movements were as beautiful as a painting.

Finally, the play came to an end.

The Dan Actor flicked her water sleeves and struck a beautiful final pose.

Chen Wan'er woke as if from a dream, only then realizing that the show should be over.

However, there was dead silence beneath the stage.

Dozens of spectators sat there; no one chatted, no one cheered, and not a single person had even moved an inch.

This was too eerie.

She instinctively turned her head to look, only to see that under the moonlight, those rows of spectators actually looked exactly the same.

They faced the stage, motionless, their expressions frozen.

Their eyebrows were traced, their lips were painted, and their eyes were dotted on with ink.

Paper figures!

They were all paper figures!

Dozens of paper figures sat neatly on the long benches, staring straight at the stage.

Chen Wan'er's delicate body trembled, and she froze in place.

She had actually watched a play alongside paper figures!

She turned to run, but as she spun around, two paper figures stood on her left and right, their faces covered in thick ink makeup, smiling at her.

She let out a terrified scream, only to see the Dan Actor on the stage turn to look at her, the smile at the corners of its mouth slowly widening.

"Young lady..."

The Dan Actor's voice was cloyingly sweet, "Since you're already here, why not come up on stage and sing a verse?"

As the words fell, dozens of paper figures turned their heads in unison, speaking in stiff voices.

"Come up—come up—come up—"

The voices were cold and rigid, overlapping layer upon layer, and Chen Wan'er's legs stopped obeying her.

She wanted to run, but her legs moved forward uncontrollably.

One step, two steps, three steps...

She drew closer and closer to the stage, and after only a few steps, she reached the edge of the platform.

"No... don't..." her voice trembled.

"You cannot escape." The Dan Actor's mouth stretched almost to its ears, the smile on its face appearing extremely bizarre.

Chen Wan'er stepped onto the first step, the wooden planks creaking beneath her feet.

Her whole body shook, tears streaming down uncontrollably, yet her legs continued to walk upward against her will.

The second step, the third step—

The paper figures below applauded in unison, the rustling sound of paper hitting paper making one's scalp tingle.

Chen Wan'er shook her head desperately, her vision blurred with tears.

She turned to flee, but as she lifted her foot, she found herself walking to the center of the stage against her own volition.

The Dan Actor nodded in satisfaction, the smile on its face growing increasingly sinister.

"You cannot escape."

From beneath the stage, a cold shout suddenly rang out.

"Neither can you."